


Unification

by NeurotropicAgentX



Series: Under One Flag [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: BAMF!Padmé Amidala, Canon Divergence, Culture Clashes, Dathomirian Culture, Empress Padmé Amidala, Extra Treat, F/M, Injury, Jedi Council - Freeform, Multi, Phantom Menace Ended Very Differently, Set Just Pre-Attack of the Clones, Sith, Threesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-20
Updated: 2016-11-20
Packaged: 2018-08-29 23:45:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8510362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeurotropicAgentX/pseuds/NeurotropicAgentX
Summary: ‘There’s a power vacuum,’ Padmé said. ‘This didn’t happen overnight and it certainly didn’t happen by accident. Someone wanted this. And if… and if someone doesn’t step into that vacuum, then the whole thing is going to come crashing down around all our heads. The end of the Senate, the end of the Republic.’





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dreamiflame](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamiflame/gifts).



> One of your prompt ideas mentioned Empress Amidala with her Jedi and Sith consorts. The idea wouldn’t leave me alone so here’s a treat covering… mostly that. Kind of.
> 
> Huge thank you to my beta.

‘Thank you for coming to see me, Obi-Wan.’

Obi-Wan smiled and inclined his head. ‘It’s no trouble, Padmé.’

Padmé returned the smile. It had taken him a long time to start using her first name, despite her insistence. It was somewhere around the third foiled assassination attempt that he’d finally given in. 

She gestured for him to sit. Obi-Wan was surprised how easy it was not to stand on ceremony with her. He tended to be edgy around most politicians. 

‘I wanted to talk to about some things. What I have to say is… troubling and I brought you here because I know I can trust you,’ Padmé said.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. ‘Alright, consider me ready for trouble.’

‘It’s about the attack on Tatooine. The one assassin that no one’s been able to catch.’

Even after all these years, Obi-Wan could still remember the corrupted, discordant signature of what could only have been a dark-side-user. ‘The Jedi Council hasn’t managed to find the Sith yet.’ Obi-Wan hesitated. ‘I’d tell you if we’d heard anything.’ If the Council didn’t advise against sharing that information, he would say something. Though it was unlikely that they’d keep it from Padmé, considering that she had been the intended target.

‘Actually, I wanted to tell you what _I’ve_ heard,’ she said. ‘I’ve been keeping a web of informants searching for the perpetrator of the attack. After Tatooine, he seemed to disappear into thin air.’ 

‘That’s what the Jedi Council found. The trail went completely cold. I don’t suppose you’ve had better luck,’ Obi-Wan joked, leaning back.

Padmé gave a half-smile. ‘I have, actually. There have been numerous sightings of a male zabrak, typically dressed in black, haunting the underworkings of Coruscant. Some sources even comment on his unusual weapon.’ 

Obi-Wan gaped. ‘But how? We haven’t heard anything and the Council’s reach is very long.’ 

Padmé’s soft smile hardened. ‘I am a diplomat, you know. Any successful one has a large network. I suspect the Council doesn’t have access to some of the more… disreputable elements that my network does.’

Obi-Wan got up and started pacing. ‘We should take this information to the Council. If there’s any pattern they could start looking there. It shouldn’t be that hard to sense a Sith, not for a Jedi.’

‘That’s not all I have to tell you.’

Obi-Wan looked up sharply and stopped pacing. ‘You’re worried.’ It was the first time he’d ever felt something like fear in Padmé. Usually the problem was getting her to be _less_ of a risk-taker. ‘The Council can protect you. There are more Jedi on Coruscant than anywhere else in the galaxy.’

‘That’s not the problem. Think about it, if there’s a Sith running around Coruscant, the place with the most Jedi, then he’s here for a reason. What was it you told me “there’re always two”? I don’t think we were attacked by the master,’ Padmé said quietly.

Obi-Wan nodded reluctantly. From what his maste– from what Qui-Gon had told him, the Sith hadn’t been that old or fought with the sort of finesse that would be expected from a master of the dark side. ‘So you think there’s a Sith master out there.’

‘I think there’s a Sith master _here_. On Coruscant.’

Obi-Wan carefully didn’t feel anything at this revelation. He let the Jedi mantra run through his head, clearing everything away but the bright touch of the Force. Padmé must have mistaken his reaction for disbelief.

‘I know, how could it happen? But I’ve been digging and drawing connections and looking for patterns.’ Padmé’s lips hardened into a thin line. ‘What I found also led me to start digging into the workings of the Republic.’

‘What?’

Padmé let out a long breath. ‘It’s a mess. The infighting has reached an unprecedented level and the deals and arrangements have gone beyond normal politics. Somehow this has all been happening right under the Senate’s nose and I think I know why.’ Padmé fell silent again and this time Obi-Wan just waited. There was something underneath her concern, something burning brightly at the centre of her emotions. ‘There’s a power vacuum,’ Padmé said. ‘This didn’t happen overnight and it certainly didn’t happen by accident. Someone wanted this. And if… and if someone doesn’t step into that vacuum, then the whole thing is going to come crashing down around all our heads. The end of the Senate, the end of the Republic.’

Obi-Wan finally identified the core of Padmé’s emotions. She was angry, with a rage so profound that it would have been dangerous for a Force-user. It was unsurprising. She’d dedicated her whole life to galactic democracy. She _believed_ in it with a depth seldom seen in Republic politicians.

‘If what you’re saying is right, then the Jedi Council must be informed,’ Obi-Wan said decisively. ‘If someone, Sith or otherwise, is working against the peace then we’ll need to step in.’

Padmé took a breath. ‘We can’t do that.’

Obi-Wan blinked. ‘We absolutely can and we absolutely should.’ This was too big for them, certainly too big for a Jedi who had only been knighted a few years back and a lone member of the Senate.

‘No. The reason I came to you with this was because I didn’t know who else to trust. I know you aren’t working for the Sith, because you stood against the assassin. Your old master is probably safe too, for the same reason.’ Obi-Wan clenched a hand behind his back and then slowly relaxed. There was no reason to feel this way, feel _any_ way about someone mentioning Qui-Gon. ‘But I didn’t think I could persuade one of the old masters to keep something like this from the Jedi Council.’

Obi-Wan made a noncommittal sound. He was absolutely planning to take this before the Jedi Council, whether or not Padmé could be persuaded. ‘You can’t think a Jedi is behind this. I mean, it’s probably not obvious to most people, but we can sense when someone’s dark. Sith are like these clouds of rage and hate. It’s hard _not_ to feel them and get distracted during combat.’

‘I confess that I don’t know the intricacies of Jedi and Sith abilities, but if Sith are working here on Coruscant, then maybe they’ve found a way to hide themselves.’

‘Well what do you propose?’ Obi-Wan asked.

‘There’s one other person who I think I can trust with this. My old mentor from Naboo might be able to offer advice and resources. It’s better that more people know about this. If I thought I could trust the data services I’d have this information broadcast to every person on Coruscant,’ Padmé said.

‘You mean Supreme Chancellor Palpatine?’ Obi-Wan thought quickly. ‘Alright, let’s talk to your mentor,’ As much as Obi-Wan disliked dealing with politicians, he hoped an old traditionalist like Palpatine would try and convince Padmé to go to the Jedi. Worst-case scenario, he snuck out of their meeting halfway through and went to the Council himself.

///

They were grim-faced and silent as they made their way to the chancellor’s quarters. Obi-Wan was repeating the Jedi mantra to himself and bleeding any excess emotions into the Force. Padmé’s anger was strong enough that he found it necessary. 

When they approached the door Padmé simply went in without knocking. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, but followed. He knew that most quarters contained a sitting room and study aside from the bedroom and ’fresher, but Padmé must be very close to her mentor to ignore even basic protocol like this.

‘My friend, I wanted t–,’ Padmé cut off halfway through her sentence and a heartbeat later Obi-Wan realised why.

Standing in the centre of the room was a hooded figure wearing dark robes. Their back was to the door and kneeling in front of them was the Sith who’d attacked them on Tatooine. The first thing that registered though, was the putrescent Force-signatures of dark-side-users.

Obi-Wan sprang forward and drew his lightsaber. If he could take one down through surprise, then maybe he’d be able to delay the other one long enough for help to arrive. He had to protect Padmé, who wasn’t even Force-sensitive. Maybe she could flee while they engaged him.

‘They’re Sith, both of them, run!’ he shouted.

The apprentice leapt to his feet, but the hooded Sith was faster, whirling around just as– 

A blaster fired. 

The bolt struck the hooded Sith in the head and they dropped instantly. The apprentice had activated his saberstaff, but now he dropped it to the ground and raised his hands slowly. Obi-Wan advanced, keeping his lightsaber trained on the apprentice. He called the saberstaff to his free hand, even though the dark pulse of its synth-crystals made him feel vaguely nauseous.

‘Was that you firing, Padmé?’ he asked without turning around.

‘Yes,’ she said. Her voice was colder than he’d ever heard it. ‘Where’s Sheev? What have you done with him?’ It took Obi-Wan a moment to realise that she was addressing the Sith apprentice. 

The apprentice’s attention left Obi-Wan and focused on Padmé. He went down on one knee, but kept his hands visible. ‘I do not know, my master. Who is Sheev?’

Obi-Wan’s eyes narrowed at this display. Then Padmé stepped forward and he flung out an arm. ‘Keep back, he’s dangerous.’

Padmé stopped, but he could feel rage rolling off her in waves. ‘These are the rooms of Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine. What have you _done with him_?’

The apprentice’s eyes widened. His gaze flicked over to the crumpled body of the Sith master. Obi-Wan felt a headache coming on.

///  
‘So the Sith apprentice was left alive?’ Master Windu asked.

‘Yes,’ Obi-Wan repeated, to him and the rest of the Council for the third time. ‘But I still think the more pressing matter is the dissolution of the Senate.’

Most of the Council looked uncomfortable. ‘Politics, a matter for the Jedi Council is not,’ Master Yoda said after a long silence. ‘Sith, a matter are.’

Master Galia nodded. ‘Master Yoda is right. The Jedi can’t afford to meddle in galactic politics. We are peace keepers first and foremost, and our power is too strong be placed for or against any leader.’

‘The philosophy of politics aside, how exactly is Senat– Empress Amidala planning on keeping a Sith contained?’ Master Windu asked. ‘If we can get back to the most important matter at hand?’

Obi-Wan sighed. ‘The Sith, Maul, surrendered easily enough when Empress Amidala killed his master.’

There was some murmuring among the members of the Council. Many of them still had trouble believing that a Force-null could manage to kill a Sith lord, even with the element of surprise. Some of them had even suggested keeping an eye on Padmé, in case she showed latent talent with the Force. Of course Obi-Wan had been there and he knew that Palpatine had underestimated Padmé then just as the Jedi were now. She hadn’t even felt angry or violent at the time. Firing her blaster had been a calm, deliberate move that would have been nearly alien to a passion-driven Sith. 

Obi-Wan looked around the room until silence settled again. 

‘Maul knows important parts of Palpatine’s plans and with the Republic in the state it is,’ Obi-Wan shrugged helplessly, ‘he’s more useful alive.’ He’d argued with Padmé about this up until the guards had burst into the room, drawn by the sound of blaster fire. Maybe it would have been better to have just struck the blow against Padmé’s wishes, but Obi-Wan hadn’t been able to. He had been afraid for Padmé and angry at the Sith who had managed to elude the entire Council for so long. Killing a Sith in cold blood would have been allowed, _if_ he hadn’t been feeling so much.

Obi-Wan turned to face Master Windu more fully. ‘As for containment, Empress Amidala has the full resources of what used to be the Republic under her command. Even if Maul was foolish enough to try anything, every guard, soldier and droid knows who and what he is now. He’d be killed the second he put a foot out of line.’

‘A useful source of information or not, the word I’m failing to hear in your explanation is “imprisoned”,’ Master Shaak Ti pointed out.

‘Empress Amidala is understandably concerned about how the rest of the galaxy will react to her seizing power. Palpatine’s machinations made it necessary for a strong leader to step into power, but there will always be people who disagree with her actions. For some reason she’s decided that a pet Sith will deter further assassination attempts.’ Like Maul hadn’t been _responsible_ for one of those attempts. 

‘You can’t keep a Sith on a leash,’ Master Shaak Ti said.

‘Maul’s signature is almost non-existent in the Force. Both Palpatine and he have some sort of shielding technique that makes them very hard to sense, let alone read. But of the glimpses I’ve caught from him, he seems genuinely afraid of Empress Amidala, and even deferential.’

The Council started murmuring again until Master Yoda’s voice cut through the sound. ‘Old that Sith tradition is. The apprentice to the slayer of their master goes. A tradition of blood and power it is. From Maul, safe is Empress Amidala. For now.’

Obi-Wan swallowed and delivered the last part of his report. ‘In addition, she would also like to humbly request that the Council stations me near her as a liaison. She wants to be able to consult with the Council on matters pertaining to her rule.’

Master Windu nodded his approval. ‘An excellent idea. You can keep an eye on the Sith.’

Master Shaak Ti spoke up again. ‘While Master Galia is right that we cannot have an active part of galactic politics, I for one would feel better to have a representative of the Council in a position to… observe this new Empress.’

There were more nods from members of the Council. Obi-Wan was shocked. He’d expected reprimands about getting too close to Padmé and for not pushing harder to kill Maul when he had the chance. And to be placed so close to Padmé, even after everything… well it wasn’t a problem, of course. It wasn’t like he was getting _attached_ or anything. Queen, Senator, Empress or whatever she called herself, Padmé was still a politician and Obi-Wan knew there was no danger of getting too close. Jedi and politicians had totally different aims and often got in each other’s way. It was easy to stay objective about a politician. But it was odd that the Council was just accepting that as a matter of course. Obi-Wan hadn’t really proved himself and only really scraped through the trials after Qui-Gon had aband... had started training Skywalker.

Master Windu looked around the room and then at Master Yoda. ‘While its important to remain vigilant for Sith, it seems that the Jedi owe a great debt to Empress Amidala for ending the threat. Is our business here concluded?’

There were nods and a few affirmative murmurs. 

‘Good. Concluded this meeting is.’ Master Yoda turned to face Obi-Wan. ‘Return to the Empress, you should.’

Obi-Wan bowed to the Council and left. He would not let them down.

///

There were too many guards. Padmé was used to being surrounded by security details and she was used to being in danger, but this was excessive. She was now in charge of several disparate militaries, each with their own branches and she’d just finished putting together a shortlist of people she’d trust to take command of them. They’d need administrative skills far more than military skills to bring some kind of order to this incoherent mess. Maybe she should just invent a new system of ranks. 

Beyond securing the martial strength of the new Empire, there were millions upon millions of tasks just like this that required the merging and consolidating of a thousand disparate interests. Had this kind of thing been _fun_ for her old mentor? She had stepped into power because there had been no other way, but without the knowledge of all of Palpatine’s plans, she could feel many of the threads unravelling around her.

At least the grumblings from some of the star systems that had been considering seceding from the Republic had quietened. For many, the unity of an Empire was seen as a sign of strength and a herald of prosperity or even conquest. 

Padmé guiltily wished that there had been more of an outcry against the dissolution of the Republic and the Senate and against her. She had known she was popular during her reign on Naboo, but the number of systems that had sided with her _because it was her_ was humbling. And worrying. Democracy was always better and the Republic could have been something glorious if it hadn’t been actively sabotaged by an inside player.

Padmé turned to one of her aides. ‘Could you please send someone to bring Maul here.’

‘Yes, Empress.’

She needed more information about Palpatine’s dealings and Maul was the only one with even approximate knowledge. She commed Obi-Wan as well, asking him to come to her as soon as his meeting with the Jedi Council was over. A Jedi would be able to verify any information Maul gave out.

It wasn’t long at all before Maul entered the room. Padmé wondered exactly how close he’d been… stationed. He was no longer carrying any weapons, of course, and he wasn’t allowed his own comm. She’d mandated that he be given a room, rather than a cell, but it was mostly in name. He was absolutely a prisoner here. 

Maul stopped far enough from her that the guards didn’t shoulder their blasters. He dropped to one knee and bowed his head. Padmé frowned. ‘Please stand, there’s no need for that.’ She might be the new Empress, but she was going to resist the patterns of dictatorship as hard as possible, even with defeated foes.

Maul stood and inclined his head. ‘As you wish, my master.’

‘I’m not… I’m not even a Force-sensitive and I’m certainly not anyone’s “master”. Please don’t call me that,’ said Padmé. 

‘Yes…’ Maul hesitated, his hands clenched and then unclenched at his sides. A couple of her guards shifted uneasily and fortified their stances.

‘Empress will do,’ Padmé said after a moment. 

‘Yes, Empress.’ Maul relaxed. The guards relaxed with him. 

Padmé briefly considered the danger of getting him to come closer, but disregarded it. He was unarmed, and even with the Force couldn't kill her before her guards shot him. Besides, if he did use the Force, it wouldn’t matter if he did it from across the room or from right beside her.

‘I’d like you to have a look at this list of Republic star systems that have been talking about open dissent lately. If you can confirm or refute Palpatine’s influence in these places, that would be helpful.’ She waved her datapad in his direction.

One of her guards stood to attention. ‘Empress, we can get him his own datapad and he can review the list in his room. He doesn’t need to be here, or get any closer to you.’

Maul’s gaze flicked uneasily between Padmé and the guards.

‘No, I’m dealing with this now and I need specific information as I’m going through the lists.’ Padmé turned to Maul. ‘You’re aware you’ll get shot if you try anything, yes?’ she asked bluntly.

‘Yes, Empress,’ Maul agreed. He didn’t seem particularly fazed by this. After one more glance at the guards he moved slowly toward Padmé and around her desk.

She pushed the datapad toward him and scrolled to the top of the list. ‘Any of these ones?’ she asked.

Maul read over the list slowly. ‘Here.’ He pointed to one of the planets in the Calcoraan system. ‘I’ve been here. I assassinated a leader.’

Padmé blinked. She hadn’t really considered that Palpatine’s methods would include political assassinations, even after everything had been revealed. Maul was watching her with an unreadable expression on his face. She suspected he was waiting for some sort of reprisal, as if she hadn’t known he was an assassin.

Padmé cleared her throat. ‘I see. Can you tell me where else you’ve killed political leaders under Palpatine’s orders?’

There was a flash of relief in Maul’s eyes, quickly hidden. He nodded and turned back to the list, highlighting relevant planets as he went. By the end, it looked like he’d helped destabilise a good dozen governments. 

‘Alright, that’s a start. Do you know any of his specific plans dealing with these planets? Knowing what he did is useful, but knowing _why_ he did things would be even better.’

Maul looked away again. ‘I know some of what he did. He did not often tell me why. Sometimes he would talk a lot about his plans while I was there, but I don’t think my presence mattered to him then. It is hard to know what will be useful to you.’ He’d gone tense again. 

‘I’ll have someone give you a datapad when we’re done here and you can write down anything remotely related to Palpatine’s plans. I’ll go through it when I have time.’

Maul nodded. ‘As you wish, Empress.’ He paused. ‘I know where he kept his lightsabers and some of the Sith artefacts he’d collected. Your Jedi won’t find them in his rooms.’

Padmé smiled. It was important to encourage cooperation. ‘Thank you, Maul, that’s very helpful. I’ll pass along the information.’

He blinked. Then after an oddly long pause he inclined his head again. 

///

‘This is a bad idea, Padmé,’ said Obi-Wan. Her usual retinue was just far enough away that he was using her name rather than her title. She wished it were that easy with Maul, who was trailing behind the retinue itself. Not only did he refuse to drop the title in private, she still hadn’t convinced him that he didn’t need to kneel every time he entered her presence.

‘It’s a good idea. I need to be among the people. I’m not going to cut myself off from them and rule from the top of a tower,’ she said.

Obi-Wan glanced behind them at Coruscant’s former Senate building, which was currently serving as the seat of her empire. ‘Your dedication to the people is admirable, but you haven’t been Empress long enough to risk something like this. Everything is in upheaval and even if there aren’t a thousand assassins waiting out there, some foolish citizen will definitely throw something at you. It’s too dangerous.’

‘I feel good about this plan. It’s been too long since I’ve walked the streets.’

‘Well I feel far from good about this plan and we haven’t even left the shadow of the Senate building. Let’s turn back,’ said Obi-Wan.

Padmé stopped walking. Her retinue stopped as well. Behind them Maul looked as tense as Obi-Wan and his eyes scanned the main square. Of course, he wasn’t armed, but for some reason he always seemed extra tense whenever Obi-Wan was around. 

‘Is it a feeling in the Force?’ she asked.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth and then closed it again. He let out a long breath. ‘Would it matter if I said yes?’

‘Of course,’ replied Padmé.

Obi-Wan gave her a startled look. ‘A lot of people don’t take nebulous warnings through the Force very seriously.’

Padmé huffed a laugh. ‘Since when am I most people?’ she teased.

Obi-Wan gave her a wry smile in return, but his expression sobered quickly. ‘It isn’t a specific sort of warning, there’s just something about this situation…’ He looked over his shoulder at Maul. He hadn’t been happy about Padmé bringing him along, but he’d relented when she explained that half the point of keeping him around was as a deterrent. ‘Even your pet Sith seems agitated, and I don’t think it’s just about his being unarmed.’

Padmé sighed. She wanted desperately to reconnect with the populace, but having a Jedi around meant being sensible enough to listen when they talked about the Force. They’d try again once some more time had passed, and she’d see if Obi-Wan still felt his vague warnings.

‘Alright,’ she said, ‘let’s just get bac–’

The sound of an explosion drowned out her words. It was off to the right, but the sheer force of it left her ears ringing. She drew her blaster. Obi-Wan was already crouched with his lightsaber drawn. ‘Get down!’ he yelled, barely audible through her lingering tinnitus. 

Heavily armed people were approaching rapidly from their left and they opened fire on her retinue of guards. Padmé fired a number of shots and managed to down one of the aggressors. Then Obi-Wan got into her line of fire and deflected several retaliatory blaster bolts. Pain seared into Padme’s side as one bolt slipped through his defence. She gave a breathless scream, the pain strangling the sound in her throat.

Obi-Wan cursed viciously. ‘I said get down!’ he yelled again, pushing blindly at her shoulder while he kept between her and the blaster fire. Padmé eased herself down and tried to make a smaller target. She focused on breathing slowly and not panicking. Trying to force herself not to go into shock was the best thing she could do right now. She could see her guards firing back, but many of those who hadn’t been killed in the first wave of fire seemed injured. 

Two of the attackers broke off from the main body to charge at Obi-Wan. He set his stance and grimly waited for them to get into range of his lightsaber. Suddenly the two attackers froze in the middle of the square. One of them dropped their blaster to claw at their throat. The other one’s blaster flew from their hand and off to the right. The next second they were both dropped by head shots.

Maul charged into the fray, wielding the attacker’s stolen blaster. He fired as he ran, his movements as precise and controlled as Obi-Wan’s lightsaber defence. He ripped through the line of attackers, dropping them in succession and weaving through the blaster bolts like he could predict where they’d be. Obi-Wan’s expression was grim as he watched Maul’s brutal attack, but as soon as the firing had stopped he deactivated his lightsaber and crouched beside her.

‘Where are you hit?’ he demanded in a tone more intense than she’d ever heard from him.

‘My side,’ she gasped, ‘the right.’

Obi-Wan tore at her formal robes. The blaster bolt had struck directly enough to make it easy. His hand was light on her skin, but she still had to grit her teeth against the wash of fresh pain. Her skin was burned, but worse was the copious bleeding. Something must be ruptured from the concussive force of the blast. She could only catch glimpses of the wound at this angle.

‘How bad?’ she asked.

Obi-Wan was frowning in concentration. ‘Bad. I’m going to. Don’t interrupt. I need to focus.’ He didn’t seem to be addressing her directly. Padmé took a deep breath and kept silent. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and lifted his hand until it was hovering just above her wound. A numb feeling began to spread from the heart of the wound and Padmé almost whimpered in relief as the pain eased.

She stared ahead and tried to stay still and silent so she wouldn’t break Obi-Wan’s concentration. Over his shoulder, she saw Maul approaching. There was a smear of blood along one side of his face and his robes were ripped in several places. He was still carrying the blaster. His golden eyes took in Obi-Wan’s hunched form and Padmé’s injury in one pass. She was just about to alert Obi-Wan when Maul turned his back and shouldered his blaster. He stood over them, facing outward, as he scanned the square for any developing threats. 

After several long moments Obi-Wan withdrew his hand. ‘There,’ he said, ‘that should hold until you can get to Medical.’ He was paler than usual and his voice had gone hoarse, but when he turned around and noticed Maul his hand flew to his lightsaber. He glanced back at Padmé. ‘How long has he been standing there?’

Even with the deaths of her guards and the lingering pain of her wound, Padmé managed a weak smile. ‘A few moments after you started healing me. He’s been snarling at any guards who try to approach.’

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at that and offered her a hand up. She took it and leaned heavily on his shoulder. ‘You didn’t think to say anything?’ he asked.

‘You told me not to interrupt.’ She turned to Maul. ‘Stand down, Maul. You did well today.’

Maul turned at the sound of her voice and his gaze lingered on the way Obi-Wan was supporting her weight. He lowered the blaster and some of the battle-ready tension left his stance. ‘Yes, Empress.’

A fresh squadron of guards approached warily now that Maul wasn’t warning them off so directly. Obi-Wan snapped at them to get her medical attention and the next few hours passed in a blur of medical professionals and bacta.

///

Much later that evening, Padmé called Obi-Wan to her quarters to review the information collected from networks about the assassination attempt. When he entered her private study, his face had that carefully blank expression that meant he was controlling his emotions.

‘Thank you for what you did today,’ she said without preamble. ‘According to the med-techs, if you hadn’t stabilised me I’d be dead by now.’

Obi-Wan nodded. ‘I only did what any Jedi would have done.’

A faint smile twitched across Padmé’s lips. She wondered just how automatically another Jedi would have responded in that situation. She wondered if Obi-Wan realised just how automatically he had responded to her. The smile left Padmé’s expression. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t give more weight to your objections earlier. But if you ever get a warning through the Force, please remember that I will give it the consideration it deserves.’

Obi-Wan let out a long breath and his stance went just a little bit more relaxed. ‘I’m glad you’re prepared to listen. With other Jedi, it’s a given, with most Force-nulls…’ Obi Wan shrugged.

Padmé gestured for him to sit. Obi-Wan dropped into one of the couches against the wall, rather than taking the seat opposite her desk. The informality made Padmé smile and she rose to sit near him on the same couch. Obi-Wan tracked her movement with his eyes, but remained silent.

‘Well it looks like I was right about Maul,’ she said.

Obi-Wan snorted. ‘According to Master Yoda, you’ve basically become his new master. I must say I’m a little surprised he didn’t try to succeed you while you were injured. There’s a proud Sith tradition of killing and replacing their masters as soon as the opportunity arises.’

‘I’m nobody’s master,’ Padmé said quietly. ‘Please don’t forget why I took control of the Republic. I never asked for any of this.’

Obi-Wan blinked. ‘I know,’ he said gently. ‘I was talking about the Sith tradition, not about you.’

Padmé nodded. She was a little surprised at her own vehemence. She wondered if it was worth mentioning the flinches and tension that Maul couldn’t seem to control. More than once her guards had burst into his rooms after hearing a scream, only to find that he’d been in the middle of a dream.

‘Why did you choose me as a representative?’ Obi-Wan asked. Any playfulness was gone from his expression and he was watching her face very carefully.

‘Because you’re someone I can trust. You’re a strong Jedi with strong convictions who’s willing to work with Force-nulls,’ Padmé answered without hesitation.

Obi-Wan dropped his gaze. ‘As a Jedi, I don’t think I can be what you want,’ he said carefully.

Padmé drew a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. How obvious had she been in her interest? Was he guessing, or had he somehow read her through the Force? Impossible to know. 

‘I’m not looking for feelings and attachment,’ she said. ‘I know enough about the Jedi philosophy to understand that much. Today I faced death and tomorrow I’m going to face a world where there are factions with the resources and the anger to send _small armies_ after me. Give it enough time and maybe they’ll start sending real armies and I’ll have a war on my hands.’ She waited until Obi-Wan was looking at her again before she continued. ‘I’m not looking for attachment. I’m looking for a distraction. With someone I can trust.’

She reached out slowly with one hand and when Obi-Wan didn’t move, she laid her hand against the side of his face. The rhythm of his breathing didn’t change, but his eyes were fixed on hers. ‘Are sure that’s what you want? Are you sure that’s _all_ you want?’ he asked.

Padmé’s smile flashed across her face. ‘I’ve always had a very clear idea of what I want.’

Obi-Wan barked a laugh. He sounded surprised by his own mirth. ‘Alright, you have me there, Empress.’ He always called her that when he was trying to distance himself. Padmé didn’t mind at all.

She leaned in to kiss him and he met her halfway. It wasn’t about attachment, not for her and not for him. But it was distracting and exactly what she wanted right now. Hopefully it was exactly what he wanted too. 

///

The daunting task of running an empire gradually became habitual. Padmé had delegated a lot of data management to various trustworthy people and, between Obi-Wan and Maul, she was mostly safe from attempts on her life. She and Obi-Wan developed a sort of rhythm to their encounters and neither of them seemed to be struggling with maintaining professionalism. 

After the paramilitary attempt on her life, her guards had also become less wary of Maul and he was beginning to fit into the routine of her reign a well. It turned out that he’d inferred quite a lot about Palpatine’s plans merely from being in the background during important conversations. 

Padmé was already in her sitting room when Maul knocked. He was here for the morning brief and she called out to him. He stalked in with his usual grace and inclined his head in Padmé's direction. She smiled back, pleased that he hadn’t dropped to his knees. These days the guards remained outside, especially when Obi-Wan was near enough to intervene if anything went wrong.

Maul began delivering his report in soft tones, much more relaxed than Padmé usually saw him. About halfway through, Obi-Wan walked into the room, straight from her ’fresher, adjusting his robes. He seemed entirely unselfconscious about the implications of his presence and he nodded in Maul’s direction

Maul tensed and his hand flew to where his lightsaber would be. There was nothing for him to draw and he stood silent, his fist clenched above his left hip. Obi-Wan exchanged a look with Padmé. Maul was always tenser when Obi-Wan was around, but this was ridiculous.

Padmé was the one to break the silence. ‘Okay, what do you find so distressing about Obi-Wan? I killed your master. I would think you would find me more frightening.’

Maul didn’t take his eyes off Obi-Wan, but he turned his body to face her more fully. ‘I fear you more, Empress.’

‘And yet you’re perfectly capable of calmly delivering a report to me, but as soon as Obi-Wan walks in you’re ready for combat.’

A frustrated noise rose in the back of Maul’s throat. ‘Yes. You keep both of us close and…’ he trailed off and made a vague slashing gesture with his other hand.

‘What?’ Obi-Wan asked, sounding about as lost as she was. His hand wasn’t anywhere near his lightsaber, but his stance was combat-ready.

Maul turned to face him completely and bared his teeth. ‘I… don’t want to _fight_ you,’ he said. Each word was steeped in deep reluctance. If anything, after admitting a preference for non-violence, he seemed _more_ tense.

‘What?’ Obi-Wan repeated. ‘I don’t want to fight you either. Obviously,’ he added, in complete bemusement. 

Maul turned back to Padmé. The look in his eyes was impossible to read. ‘What now, Empress?’ he asked.

Padmé blinked. ‘Nobody fights anyone. Why would you fight each other?’

This time Maul blinked. ‘To find out who is better. For you.’ His gaze skittered away and his stance shifted in a way that had nothing to do with combat.

Padmé sighed internally. She’d dealt with enough different cultures over the years to recognise ingrained cultural practices or at least the biology that underpinned them.

‘Is it common for zabrak men to fight each other as a way of “winning” a mate?’ Padmé asked, trying very hard to keep the distaste out of her voice. It wasn’t Maul’s fault that he came from a species where their cultural norms were… different. But if this was the reason that he’d found it so hard to work well with Obi-Wan, then by Shiraya…

Maul looked up sharply. ‘No? We fight, sometimes, or sometimes a woman comes and fights us. She takes the one that stands the longest. It is… an entertainment. Sometimes there are deaths.’ His eyes flicked over to Obi-Wan and back. ‘Our deaths.’

Padmé sat back. ‘Oh,’ she said. 

Obi-Wan’s face went through an interesting series of expressions. ‘That’s barbaric!’

Maul snorted softly. ‘It is the natural order of things and it keeps our people strong. Women choose, males serve.’

‘So all this time you’ve been waiting for me to what, initiate some sort of battle to the death?’ Padmé asked.

‘Yes,’ Maul replied as if he was saying something completely reasonable. ‘It is odd that you… seem to have chosen.’ Here Maul’s gaze flicked back to Obi-Wan. ‘And yet I am still alive.’

Obi-Wan’s gaze lifted toward the ceiling and he folded his arms. ‘It _is_ kind of odd that you’ve chosen to keep a dangerous Sith alive,’ Obi-Wan agreed in mock-thoughtful tones.

Padmé sent him a warning look. It may have been said in jest, but Maul was still fearful enough for his position without Obi-Wan’s contributions. ‘Ignore him. I promise you that I will never encourage you two to fight, especially not to gain favour from me.’

Maul inclined his head. ‘As the Empress wills it.’ He sounded supremely unconvinced. 

She drummed her fingers against the arm of her chair. ‘Look, you are both useful in very different ways. Why would I want one of you dead or injured?’

‘You’re too kind,’ Obi-Wan said dryly. 

Padmé shot him another look, but couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth. Maul looked uneasy at the exchange.

‘Maul never seems particularly easy to persuade on cultural matters, like not immediately stabbing people. Maybe the simplest way to convince him would be to just take him to bed too,’ Obi-Wan said with even deeper sarcasm.

Padme blinked. ‘That… isn’t the worst flippant idea I’ve heard from you.’

Obi-Wan spluttered. ‘That’s not. You _know_ I was joking, you _said_ I was joking.’

Maul was watching with a great degree of focus now. It was hard to tell if he was interested or afraid. He cleared his throat. ‘Is that a thing your people typically do?’ he asked. ‘Choose two males?’ He seemed genuinely curious.

‘Yes.’

‘No!’

Padmé looked over at Obi-Wan. ‘Well I’m from Naboo, originally, and it is not at all uncommon to “choose two males” or really any combination of genders.’

‘Well, I’m a Jedi,’ Obi-Wan muttered.

‘Which means that you are not allowed attachment, if I remember correctly,’ Padmé added smoothly. 

Obi-Wan swallowed and nodded slowly. Maul looked between the two of them. 

‘I wouldn’t push for something that made anyone uncomfortable,’ Padmé said. ‘I seized power only because it was necessary. I don’t enjoy overriding people’s wishes.’

‘I know that,’ Obi-Wan said reproachfully. ‘Honestly, Padmé.’ She settled a bit. It was important that he knew that. But really the hardest part was convincing _Maul_ of the same thing. Obi-Wan hesitated for a moment before he spoke again. ‘I think it might actually help to do this… and it certainly wouldn’t be about attachment,’ he added, eyeing Maul.

Maul was watching Obi-Wan and his expression gave away nothing. Padmé wondered if Obi-Wan could sense any clues in the Force. She cleared her throat and Maul’s gaze swung back to her. ‘Are you interested in this?’ she asked. ‘There are no consequences for whatever you decide here. I am not a zabrak and I want both of you around for your combat abilities and advice, irrespective of any more intimate roles.’ She strongly hoped that Maul wouldn’t say anything along the lines of ‘as you wish’. There was a narrow range of responses that she could trust to be genuine, from him.

Maul’s gaze wandered from her, back to Obi-Wan, and back to her. After a long pause he spoke. ‘I am interested.’ 

Padmé smiled. ‘This evening, then,’ she said.

///

Maul looked around the Empress’s bedroom. He automatically noted the absence of any escape routes, barring the doorway he’d just walked through. The window was actually a screen displaying a perfectly convincing view of the outside world, without being a weak point that an assassin could exploit. He approved. He was also avoiding think about the Jedi at his back and woman who held both their lives in her palm.

This was good. It almost made sense. The Empress was powerful and important, so it made sense that she would have two males. They had both worked together during the assassination attempt. Maybe they were both useful. The Jedi hadn’t been that useful for killing, but then _he_ hadn’t been useful for healing. The Empress wanted them both.

She walked up to him and for once he didn’t try to ignore the mix of fear and arousal her presence brought. ‘You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,’ she said. ‘I would never force you into something like this.’

She seemed to mean it. Force-nulls didn’t have the training to hide their intent well. He looked into her eyes, felt the edge of her concern. ‘I want to,’ he said simply.

Behind her the Jedi snorted. The Empress smiled at him and reached out to touch the side of his face. Maul didn’t flinch as her fingers stroked against his cheek. His hearts started beating faster. ‘I’m glad,’ she said. Then she kissed him, a soft slide of lips against his and no teeth or biting. After a stunned moment, he tried to kiss back. His lips tingled.

There was brief flash of emotion in the Jedi’s signature but it was gone before Maul could work out what it meant. It was interesting though. He’d though that the Jedi didn’t feel. His Force-signature was always small and very quiet. It wasn’t shielding, because that felt different, but more like he _couldn’t_ feel. It explained why he didn’t fear the Empress, but that spark of feeling had been… interesting. 

‘I think maybe you were right and this isn’t my worst idea,’ said the Jedi. 

The Empress laughed. There was no edge of cruelty to the sound and Maul’s lips twitched up in a brief smile as well. 

Then the Empress stepped back and drew her blaster. Maul’s breath caught. He remembered her slaying his old master, feeling nothing but cold deliberation. She merely placed it on the small table by the doorway. She was a Force-null and now unarmed, but even so Maul’s instincts insisted she was the most dangerous person in the room. He and the Jedi lived and died by her command. This was the natural order of things. Then she turned her back to him.

Maul swallowed as she brushed her hair away from the back of her neck. ‘Would you undo the clasps, please? I usually have help with this,’ she said.

Maul stepped forward without a though, and pried open the delicate clasps that went down the back of her gown. Her hair brushed against his hands and his fingertips grazed the back of her neck. He was breathing hard by the time he was done.

The Jedi looked at Maul and then at the Empress. ‘I think you’ve broken him, Padmé,’ he said. ‘If you could read what I could in his signature…’ The Jedi shrugged. 

Maul narrowed his eyes at the Jedi. ‘It would take more than that to break me, Jedi. At least my signature _exists_.’

The Jedi gave a short laugh. ‘The point of this is not to start a fight,’ he said mildly.

A flicker of fear touched Maul, but he quickly reminded himself that it wasn’t up to the Jedi. The Empress wanted both of them. ‘I wonder what it would take, besides a fight, to make your signature readable,’ Maul said, tilting his head and demonstrating how little he cared about baring the side of his neck. The look the Jedi gave him in return was gratifying. The way he was staring at Maul’s throat meant that he probably understood the insult. 

The Empress gave them a thoughtful look. ‘Huh, I’d definitely be interested in seeing that.’

Maul blinked. That was… not something he’d considered. Women were usually interested in the combat and the blood, but it made a strange kind of sense for one to be interested in seeing males demonstrate bedroom skills. It was certainly relevant. There was another spike of emotion from the Jedi in response to the Empress’s words. 

A smile tugged at the corner of Maul’s lips, but this time it was less mirthful. He walked over to the Jedi and stopped just close enough to touch. The Jedi was watching him intently, probably assessing him as a threat. 

‘Oh alright,’ the Jedi muttered and closed the distance between them. Maul tensed as the Jedi placed a hand on his forearm, but before he could process it as a threat or not, they were kissing. It was gentle like the Empress’s kiss had been, with no teeth or blood. The hair on the Jedi’s face added an odd sensation, but it was also interesting. Maul raised a hand and touched the hair on the Jedi’s jaw. The texture was different than what he expected, but nice.

They drew back. Maul flicked a glance over at the Empress. She had a faint smile on her face. She had also taken off her robes. Maul’s gaze caught on her body, the sinewy muscle of her limbs, the confidence of her stance, and the intriguing patch of hair between her legs. His eyes caught on the pale scar that ran down one side of her stomach. That was where she had been struck by blaster fire, where the Jedi had healed her. At least it showed that the Jedi could be trusted to serve the Empress with his skills. Then Maul looked back up at her face, his breath catching at the predatory look in her eyes. A muscle in his leg jumped as the urge to back away or maybe kneel asserted itself. Woman were dangerous, every Dathomirian knew it deep in themselves, but he _wanted_.

‘I was just thinking that you two should undress each other,’ she said, looking first at him and then at the Jedi.

Maul nodded and turned back to the Jedi. Instruction was useful and there was something about having her at his back, watching… Maul shivered pleasantly. Fortunately the Jedi’s robes were similar to what he wore. There were no complicated clasps and it was easy enough to shove the outer robe off the Jedi’s shoulders.

The Jedi snorted at him and smiled with one side of his mouth. ‘I’m not going to deny a certain interest in exploring the extent of your tattoos,’ he said.

‘They won’t mean much to you, Jedi.’

The Jedi’s smile widened. ‘True, but they’re very pretty.’

Maul wasn’t quite sure how to take that comment. The Jedi seemed sincere enough, though still frustratingly difficult to read. ‘Good,’ said Maul. He let the Jedi remove his outer robe as well. Then he hesitated, eyeing the lightsaber at the Jedi’s side.

‘You know it’s probably easier if we just undress ourselves, Padmé,’ said the Jedi. He removed his belt, weaponry and all, and placed it on the table beside the Empress’s blaster.

‘But where would be the fun in that?’ said the Empress.

Maul set about removing the inner layers of the Jedi’s robes. He wasn’t about to question the Empress’s wishes. The Jedi lingered over Maul’s robes, his hands brushing against skin and running down limbs. It was difficult to tell if it was for the Jedi’s own interest or for their audience. The sensation was oddly pleasant though. Having another’s hands on him like this wasn’t nearly as threatening as he had expected. 

When the final pieces of cloth had dropped away, the Jedi took a step back and traced the path of Maul’s tattoos with his gaze. ‘May I touch?’ he asked.

Maul blinked and then glanced over at the Empress. She didn’t say anything. She was looking at the both of them. When Maul continued to look at her, waiting for direction, she waved her hand at him. ‘Do you what you like, I’m enjoying the view.’

Maul blinked again and turned back to the Jedi, who was waiting for permission. From him. ‘You may,’ said Maul, partially out of curiosity.

The expression that slid across the Jedi’s face wasn’t as predatory as the Empress’s, of course, but there was something intent in his pale eyes. He placed his hands on Mauls’ shoulders and then traced down the lines of black ink, pressing in with his fingertips and even with his nails. Maul’s breath caught and his hands automatically went to the Jedi’s forearms, not to stop him, but to have something to hold on to.

‘Do you like that?’ the Jedi asked.

‘Yes,’ Maul replied quickly. The Jedi’s hands were at his waist now and he squeezed lightly. They both belonged to the Empress. Maul supposed this meant that here and now, like this, their place was fairly similar. With that in mind he leaned in and kissed the Jedi, bringing up one hand to touch the hair on his head. It was different than the face hair, more like the Empress’s. Maul let the strands run between his fingers and then tugged lightly. The Jedi gasped into his mouth. It was satisfying to have caused that. 

This was for the Empress of course, a demonstration, but he was surprised to find himself enjoying the feel of the Jedi beneath his hands and lips. Maul drew back and noted the telltale features of arousal on the Jedi. Then he turned to face the Empress and took a hesitant step forward. ‘What would you like from me?’ he asked.

She smiled a gentle smile again and walked over to the large bed. ‘Come here,’ she said. ‘Both of you.’

Maul’s hearts pounded as he went over to her, sensing the Jedi moving at his back. She seated herself on the edge of the bed. Maul knelt. It felt right. For once the Empress didn’t ask him to stand again. He reached out toward her and stopped, flicked his gaze up to catch her eye.

‘You can touch, if you want,’ she said. The smile was still on her face. 

‘Thank you,’ he said, voice rough, and placed his hand on her leg and sliding his palm down her thigh. Her skin was softer than a Dathomirian’s and sprinkled with barely perceptible hairs. It felt good.

The Jedi got on the bed beside the Empress. She turned toward him and they kissed. They seemed familiar with one another. There was no fear in the Jedi’s signature or in his movements, though there was a brief spike of some emotion, once again gone before Maul could parse it. It took an effort of will to remind himself that he was here for more than just staring as the two humans kissed and touched, gentle and confident. 

Maul slid his hand up the Empress’s leg, only stopping halfway up her thigh. He was thrilled by his own boldness and enticed by the scent between her legs. A muscle in the Empress’s thigh twitched beneath his hand and she looked down at him. The Jedi continued mouthing at her jaw and neck. The blunt human teeth near her throat didn’t cause her any concern and her signature was filled only with desire and… affection. 

Maul licked his dry lips. ‘May I touch and… use my mouth?’ he asked, stumbling over the request.

A slow smile spread across the Empress’s face. ‘That sounds wonderful.’ She reached out and stroked his head, her fingers slipping around his horns where the skin was more sensitive. 

Maul leaned into the touch and then bent further forward until he could press his tongue against her, tasting her warmth and arousal. Her hair brushed lightly against the tip of his nose, the foreign sensation very interesting. When he began to move his tongue, her hand gripped one of his horns. It was too short for her to use as a handhold, but the way she tugged sent sparks running down his skull and the length of his spine.

He licked at her in broad firm strokes. He wasn’t quite sure what would work, but half of his attention was focused on her Force-signature. It wasn’t easy to read for specifics, but he managed to work out that she liked him to go fast.

‘Ah! Higher, up more, to the left, there!’ the Empress commanded breathlessly. When he hit the right spot, the Empress tugged even harder at him and Maul gave a pleased growl in the back of his throat. It was good to have instruction. ‘Yes, there, that’s perfect, you’re perfect,’ she said, her hips hitching up against his mouth.

Maul was unprepared for the sudden jolt of arousal he felt at her words. Thankfully, the embarrassing noise he made in response was muffled between the Empress’s legs. He pressed his palm against his cock, needing some pressure to ease the sudden ache. 

He licked faster, losing himself in the rhythm of her instructions and the feel of her signature. She was loud, as loud as an unshielded Sith, easily loud enough to drown out the feel of the silent Jedi. He was close enough that he could almost feel the sensations himself, like the edge of ghosts plucking at his mind. It was exhilarating and Maul could hear the sound of his own double heartbeat in his ears. It beat in time to the feel of her pulse beneath his tongue.

The Empress grabbed his head with both hands as she came. The sound she made had Maul shaking between her thighs. He squeezed his cock with one hand, forestalling his own pleasure, trying to separate her feelings from his own. 

The muscles of her legs relaxed gradually and Maul drew back slowly. His chest rose and fell with his panting breaths and he stared up at the Empress’s body. The Jedi was brushing her sweat-dampened hair away from her face. His other hand was tracing lightly up and down her arm. 

The Empress smiled down at Maul. ‘Thank you, that was fantastic.’

Satisfaction rose hot and strong in him, but it was easier to keep his feelings separate while he wasn’t touching her. He nodded slowly. ‘Thank you, Empress.’

Her smile quirked up at one corner, but she didn’t ask him to stop using the title. That was good. He didn’t want to deny her right now, but it was better by far to show respect. The alternatives were never pleasant.

The Jedi gave him a look. Maul suspected that it was a nervous look because the Jedi hadn’t had a chance to please the Empress yet. The Jedi kept staring and then his gaze drifted down Maul’s chest to his cock. ‘You look pretty uncomfortable, would you like a hand with that?’ the Jedi asked. He was smirking now.

Maul scowled. ‘I will need a moment, but I can control myself. Jedi aren’t the only ones with discipline.’

‘Alright,’ the Jedi said slowly, ‘I was asking if you’d like me to get you off. It wasn’t actually meant to be an insult to your stamina.’

Maul narrowed his eyes. ‘Maybe you should see to the Empress instead.’

The Jedi blinked at him and then looked over to the Empress. He shrugged at her, gesturing expansively with his hands. The Empress pressed her lips together but it was clear that she was holding back laughter. Maul looked between them uneasily.

‘Well, you heard Maul. Would you like me to see to you, your imperial highness, or would that be too soon?’ the Jedi asked. He was grinning. It was the first time Maul had heard him use a proper title outside of court. 

The Empress gave a sharp laugh. ‘Oh, are you insulting _my_ stamina now?’ she asked and pushed the Jedi down to the bed. He went willingly and his hands came up to bracket the Empress’s waist as she climbed on top of him.

‘Never,’ he said breathlessly. 

Maul climbed onto the bed, a little way from where they lay. He liked the size of the Empress’s bed. Maybe it was traditional for her people to have more than one male. The bed was certainly large enough to fit the three of them comfortably.

The Empress was taking the Jedi now. Her breaths were as short as when Maul had been between her legs. The Jedi was panting too, his hips moving rhythmically beneath the Empress. Their focus on each other was a relief, for once. It gave Maul time to get his body back under control. The thrill of fear that never quite dissipated was easy to feed into the Force, but the arousal and the fierce strength of his desire were not proper dark side emotions. They lingered in him, under his skin, not useful for building his connection to the Force, but pleasant and good.

Maul shifted over to the Empress and Jedi. He stayed where they could both see him. The hair on the Jedi’s body was thicker than on the Empress. Maul itched to reach out. He glanced down at the Jedi. ‘May I touch?’ he asked echoing the Jedi’s words back at him.

The Jedi managed a brief smile. ‘Yes, touch away,’ he said.

Maul ran his hand down the Jedi’s chest, his nails occasionally catching on the hair. The Jedi arched and pressed up against Maul’s hand. His chest was solid with muscle developed in training and combat. He was less scarred than a Sith.

Maul felt a cool hand on the side of his face and turned. The Empress leaned down and kissed him. He nearly lost his balance and ended up braced against the Jedi’s forearm and the Empress’s thigh. Sensations from each of them bleed across the surface of Maul’s mind and he shivered where he knelt. They were close, the both of them, and the building pleasure was intoxicating. 

The Empress grasped Maul’s hand and pulled it down between her legs. He had to resettle his weight more heavily on the Jedi and he was grudgingly impressed when there was no pause in his rhythm. 

‘Just there,’ the Empress said and pressed Maul’s fingers against her. 

He recognised this from when he had knelt between his legs and he tried to mimic the pressure and speed she’d enjoyed from his tongue. There were no more instructions, but he was learning her body quickly. She was slick beneath his hand and every so often he could feel where she was taking the Jedi.

It wasn’t long before the Empress came. She squeezed Maul’s wrist with one hand and ground against his fingers and down against the Jedi. Her body tensed and beneath her the Jedi made an interesting sound as his hips rose in short stuttering movements. This time Maul was able to watch the Empress’s face. Something about that unguarded moment of pleasure stirred warmth low in his gut.

Her grip loosened on Maul’s wrist and she carefully moved off the Jedi. The Jedi groaned and flung an arm up to shield his eyes. 

‘I feel like I should be saying something about stamina,’ she said to him.

‘This is what I get for trying to be considerate of everyone,’ said the Jedi. Despite his tiredness, he sounded amused. He rolled over on his side and looked at Maul. ‘I don’t know how useful I’ll be right this instant, but my offer stands.’

Maul looked between him and the Empress. 

After the silence stretched for a moment the Empress caught his eye. ‘What would you like, Maul? It’s definitely your turn.’ Her gaze flicked down to his cock and back up again. 

Maul hesitated, not sure exactly how much he could ask for. She’d told him he’d done well, she was pleased with him, but it was such a strange thing to be given this much of a say. He licked his lips. ‘Could you fuck me too? Like you did with him,’ he said, gesturing at the Jedi.

The Jedi laughed. ‘Maybe he’s trying to kill you after all,’ he said, but the Empress was smiling and whacked him on the arm.

‘Some of us can go more than one round you know,’ she said. 

The Jedi grumbled something that Maul didn’t catch. 

The Empress turned back to him. ‘We could do that.’ She pressed a hand to his chest. ‘Lie down.’

Maul quickly stretched out on his back. His heartbeats were thundering in his ears and he wondered if she could feel it where she was touching him. The Empress slung a leg over his hip, straddling him. She looked amazing like this, predatory and strong. The fear edging his arousal flared and dimmed and he arched beneath her. Her hand wrapped around his cock and she moved over him until she could sink down on him. 

Breath hissed out between Maul’s teeth and he tossed his head back. His horns were pointing away and his throat bared for her. She was slick and hot around him, and when she started to move he couldn’t stop himself from moaning. Her fingertips and nails skittered along his chest, finding little purchase due to his sweat. The faintest edge of pain, barely worth the term, pricked beneath her nails. It felt good and the reminder that she could hurt him, that she chose not to, was making his head swim.

Pleasure built in slow waves. This was good and right and he wanted to be used like this forever. His hands had been gripping her hips, though he didn’t remember grabbing her and now he lifted his left to touch her wrist. She looked down in question, still moving on him.

‘Please,’ he managed to choke out between his groans.

‘Whatever you want,’ she said steadily. The words shivered down his spine and he bucked up beneath her. His hand grabbed her wrist and moved it over his throat. She understood, and curled fingers around his neck, not even hard, but enough to remind him that she held his life. 

Maul gasped and arched, pushing up hard into her body, into her hand. His vision blurred for a moment and pleasure pulsed low and sharp within him. He cried out as he came, the guttural sound tearing from his throat and it felt like her hand was the only point anchoring him. 

Maul panted as the world reasserted itself. The first thing he felt was the hunger in the Empress’s signature. He was hyper-aware of her and could tell that she was close, but not quite there. The next things to register were the points of contact between them. Her hands, her thighs and the slickness where he was still inside her. She was keeping still while he recovered, though he could feel the tension and occasional twitch.

‘Let me,’ he said indistinctly, struggling to rise. He reached for her, but the Empress lifted up and slid off his body. Maul managed to rise onto his elbows. 

‘Well it looks like you’ve _really_ broken him this time,’ the Jedi said, looking between them. 

Maul gave a snarl, but there was no malice in it. He felt wrung out, consumed. It was a good feeling. The Empress touched him lightly on the chest and smiled. ‘It’s fine, you did well, rest.’ 

Maul made a soft sound without meaning to. He’d pleased her. It was relief and satisfaction all at once. 

The Empress turned back to face the Jedi. Maul couldn’t see her expression, but the Jedi’s was intent. ‘Padmé,’ he said. His voice was rough and this time Maul managed to catch the desire that flickered at the edges of the Jedi’s signature. It was gone quickly, but it had felt like more than just the desire for flesh. Maybe the Jedi wasn’t so dead after all.

The Empress drew the Jedi toward her and kissed him hard. She clutched at the Jedi’s arm and made a very interesting noise when he reached between her legs and slid his fingers into her. Maul’s breath caught as the Empress arched. He wondered if the Jedi could also sense the tight knot of desire and pleasure that underscored the Empress’s signature. 

Maul crawled over to them, with some vague idea of helping, but he still felt weak and shaky. They looked good together though, and getting close enough to watch properly was pleasant for its own sake. There was a vague thrill in watching like this, when there seemed to be no threat and only imminent pleasure. Maul’s cock twitched, even though it was much too soon for him to harden again.

The Jedi was gently urging the Empress to lie back down, but Maul could tell that she was too close to do anything but clench and shake. Her knuckles were white where she gripped the Jedi’s free arm. Then in a movement too quick to follow, she grabbed Maul around the wrist and clutched at him too.

Maul froze, but her grip wasn’t painful, only solid. He was reminded of being anchored and held by her. This felt like a reciprocation. Seeing a powerful woman seeking the same thing that he had was affecting and Maul put his free hand on top of hers where it clung to his wrist. 

Maul leaned in and kissed the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Giving in to an impulse, he flicked out his tongue to taste the salt of her skin. Her grip on him tightened. The Jedi leaned in and kissed the Empress again, the rhythm of his fingers never faltering. She gasped something against his lips and then pleasure unfurled in her signature. Maul shivered as a stray edge of reverberating sensation bled through his own signature. 

The Jedi worked her through the climax and only withdrew once the Empress collapsed back on the bed, sated. Maul looked at the Jedi and then down at the Empress. Her grip on his wrist had slackened, and now his hand was the main thing holding her to him. He released her. 

She smiled up at him, at both of them, and briefly tightened her grip to pull them both down beside her. Maul collapsed beside her gratefully. The Jedi lay down more slowly. 

‘No fighting,’ the Empress said indistinctly. ‘You’re both valuable members of my empire.’

Maul snorted and looked over. The Jedi was wearing a similar expression of amused acceptance. Something inside Maul relaxed and he sank down, pressing himself closer against the Empress’s side.

‘Oh, I live to serve the interests of the empire and its ruler,’ said the Jedi.

The Empress gave a soft chuckle.

‘This is what Jedi do,’ Maul added solemnly. He glanced up to find the Jedi giving him a suspicious look. Maul smirked. 

‘I think I liked him better when he was scared,’ the Jedi said to the Empress. She hit him lightly on the arm. Maul’s smirk broadened where it was hidden against the side of her neck.

After Darth Sidious’s death, he had quickly accepted that his new master wasn’t a Sith. It had taken him much longer to realise that it probably meant that _he_ was no longer a Sith. It made sense. The Empress was also not Dathomirian and she was powerful enough to choose two males. That also made sense. Maul gradually fell into a light doze, pleased to have learned where he stood.

**Author's Note:**

> **Coda:**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> ‘Ah, Empress, the delegates from Kamino have arrived.’
> 
> Padmé inclined her head. ‘Please show them in.’
> 
> The delegates glided in, movements elegant and precise. They bowed and one of them stepped forward to speak. ‘Thank you for seeing me, your Imperial Highness. I come on behalf of the Kamino cloning facility.’
> 
> Padmé didn’t let her surprise show. To her left, Maul shifted slightly where he stood, picking up her emotions. Obi-Wan appeared as relaxed as ever on her right. ‘I am happy to receive word, ambassador.’
> 
> The ambassador gave another graceful bow. ‘We were wondering when you would like your clone army deployed. All the… administration issues were resolved when they were first commissioned. They are entirely at your command and we are rather at capacity, for the moment.’
> 
> Padmé blinked. ‘Clone army?’


End file.
